Aftermath
by ilovetvalot
Summary: Sequel to "The Thunder Rolls". In the wake of Rossi's revelations about Ashley Seaver's father, can he help her cope with the trauma? My entry for CCOAC Theme Song Challenge and "The Times are Changing" mini-challenge. TWOSHOT
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: This story is a direct sequel to "The Thunder Rolls". It is also my submission into two challenges...The Theme Song Challenge (my assignment was David Rossi "Aftermath") and The Times are Changing Mini Challenge.**_

_**Stay tuned for our next challenge on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum. We'd love to see everyone participate.**_

_**We also wanted you to know, we're on Facebook now. Look us up under "Ilovetvalot Fanfiction" and add away. It's just another way for we authors and readers to remain in contact!**_

_**And check out our new "Times are Changing" mini-challenge at Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. This one is for those Ashley Seaver fans that would like to write a resolution to her storyline.**_

**Aftermath**

**Chapter One**

A man shouldn't have been surprised in his own home. Wasn't it supposed to be his castle and all that? But at that moment, he truly was. After the night his houseguest had experienced, he'd fully expected her to be tucked tightly in his guest bedroom.

Oh, hell, who was he kidding, he asked himself grimly. He'd been praying she'd be asleep...hoping he'd have some more time to rifle through these emotions he'd been experiencing and relegate them to the furthest corner of his mind, locked in a box with the rest of the things he didn't want to spend too much time analyzing.

But she wasn't. Instead, she was sitting stiffly at his kitchen table, hunched over a mug of what appeared to be steaming coffee. And she looked so forlorn, it broke a heart he'd sworn was already shattered. This woman….this amazingly gifted and talented woman had the uncanny ability to sway him with just a mere look, which was something that no other had ever been able to accomplish.

It was obvious by her demeanor that she'd been there for a while. Glancing over at the neon numbers on the microwave, Dave merely shook his head as he realized that she might have never actually gone to sleep. Taking a step further into the dimly lit kitchen, Dave headed toward the coffee pot, which obviously had been percolating for a while now. Reaching for a mug on the open shelf, he easily poured the right amount. Raising the glass pot, he asked, breaking the silence, "You ready for a refill?"

But there was no response. He wasn't even certain that she had heard him. Frowning, he said, "Ashley? You with me?" His brows furrowing, he watched her continue to stare into space, no recognition of her surroundings, whatsoever.

Now this was not a good sign. Not at all.

Damn it, he thought grimly. He should never have allowed her to be alone last night. But when she'd pulled away from his embrace and asked him for some space, he'd thought she needed the time to process what she'd learned. He'd never imagined her crawling into this shell she seemed to have pulled around herself in self-defense.

She'd been a fighter from the get-go. Even as a child, her eyes had held a determination to survive that had belied her age. He'd admired it. Hell, he still admired it. Even more so now. So, needless to say, the lost, unfocused look shining in those blue pools scared the hell out of him.

"Babe?" he said softly, pushing away from where he leaned against the counter to pad across the hardwood floor, gently touching her shoulder. "Did you sleep at all last night?" he asked, wincing at the bluish hollows under her eyes, the lids slightly swollen from crying.

"I'm leaving," she whispered tonelessly, the simple phrase as wooden as the table before her.

Glancing out the still darkened windows of the kitchen, Dave shook his head. "I don't think so, Sweetheart. By the look of things, you haven't slept at all. There's no way I'm loaning you a car and putting you out on a highway." Relieved when she finally turned her face toward him, blinking slowly as though her overtaxed mind was trying to decipher his words, Dave was self-aware enough to admit that these...feelings he was having weren't run of the mill protective instincts.

He cared. And not just in that "I've got to watch my colleague's back" kind of way.

Of course it wouldn't be that fucking simple for him. When had it ever been? For some ironic reason, he was doomed to always want those he shouldn't touch. Hotch would tell him it was the lure of forbidden fruit.

But damn, she'd be sweet to taste, he thought grimly staring back into her confused gaze.

"Huh?" she grunted softly, cocking her head to the side.

"It's three thirty in the morning and pitch black out there, Ash. You aren't familiar with these country roads," Dave replied as he shook his head, trying to clear his own thoughts as much as offer her an explanation. "You need to..."

Comprehension dawned slowly on the tired younger woman. "What are you...no, I didn't mean leave here," she said slowly, lifting a hand to push her hair off her face.

"Then what did you mean?" Dave asked, shoving his hand in the pocket of his jeans to keep from touching her face.

"I meant...I'm leaving the BAU...the Bureau..." Ashley replied softly, averting her gaze.

"What?" Dave asked, his hand tightening on the back of her chair as he watched her gaze drop.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, shaking her head. "I know I must seem ungrateful...especially after everything you did to help me find a place on the team, but..."

"Ashley, you don't owe me any apologies. But you're tired right now. You've had a hell of a shock in the last few hours. You're traumatized..."

"And none of that changes the fact that I'm not meant to do this, Dave," she stated evenly, forcing herself to meet his darkened eyes. Inhaling deeply, she swallowed. "Can we move this conversation back to your living room?" she asked hopefully, uncomfortable with him towering over her chair.

"Y-yeah," Dave nodded, taking a step back when she rose. Following her petite frame through his kitchen, his mind spun. This had been the last thing he'd expected her to say. Now, if she'd told him to go to hell for sharing information she'd been better off not knowing, that, he could have understood. But this?

This he hadn't been prepared to hear...and odder still, he didn't quite know how the hell he felt about it. His gut suddenly seemed to have no opinion. Hell, maybe it was in shock, too.

Following her to the sofa, he sank down beside her, his lips unconsciously curling as she tucked her small bare feet underneath her again, the pink tips of her toes peeking out from beneath her. Funny, he'd never taken her for a "pink" personality. Somehow, he'd always assumed she'd be some variation of deep red.

Giving himself a mental shake and a stern order to redirect his thoughts, he cleared his throat. "Okay, babe," he said, turning his head to rake over her with his eyes, "Explain this thought process to me."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: This story is a direct sequel to "The Thunder Rolls". It is also my submission into two challenges...The Theme Song Challenge (my assignment was David Rossi "Aftermath") and The Times are Changing Mini Challenge.**_

_**Join us for the newest challenge on Chit Chat on Author's Corner. "Writers of the Silver Screen Movie Title Prompt Challenge" is now open! Please visit the forum, check out the newest thread, and join us!**_

_**We also wanted you to know, we're on Facebook now. Look us up under "Ilovetvalot Fanfiction" and add away. It's just another way for we authors and readers to remain in contact!**_

_**And check out our new "Times are Changing" mini-challenge at Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. This one is for those Ashley Seaver fans that would like to write a resolution to her storyline.**_

**Aftermath**

**Chapter Two**

Her eyes stared out into space as she blinked once...twice. "That's the problem entirely," she responded cryptically as she tightened her grip on her mug. "My thought process is not exactly the best place to start."

"Babe..." Dave's warning was gentle, but there was an authority behind that simple word that she couldn't ignore.

Meeting his eyes for one brief second, she whispered, "My thoughts aren't exactly normal. How could they be? My childhood definitely wasn't. And I'm not strong enough to relive it every single day, following every single case." Dropping her gaze to the floor, she swallowed hard as she added, "I'm sorry. I know that makes me weak. But I just can't do this anymore."

"Even on your weakest day, Ashley, you're stronger than most women I know," Dave assured her softly, covering the trembling hand resting on her leg with one of his. Sighing heavily, he leaned back against the couch. "This is my fault," he acknowledged heavily, staring at the cold grates of his fireplace. "I shouldn't have told you anything."

"No!" Ashley said quickly, turning to him as she laced their fingers together unconciously. "No, Dave. I needed to know all of it. The things I'd imagined...trust me, it's better I know. I don't have to wonder anymore."

"Are you sure about this?" Dave asked gently, squeezing her hand. "I mean, if you gave yourself some time..."

"I chose this career path because I wanted to make a difference, Dave. To undo some of the damage my father did. It was selfish and self-indulgent."

"You're good, Ashley. You have the potential to become great," Dave replied truthfully, staring down into her deep eyes. "But if this isn't what you really want to be doing, you'll crash and burn fast."

"See, that's it. I'm already crashing," Ashley whispered tiredly. "I know all the technicalities of why the psychotic mind operates in the way it does. I know all the text book answers. But, in the short time I've worked with all of you, I feel like every case has eaten away a little slice of my soul." Swallowing, she forced herself to continue. "Knowing what my father really did...I know I'm going to see his crime in the face of every victim. And I don't think I'm strong enough to handle that."

"You survived hell, Ashley. There's no reason for you to have to visit it on a daily basis," Dave replied, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "It takes a strong woman to make that kind of admission. It takes most people decades to reach that level of maturity."

"Now, you're just being nice," Ashley said huskily, quickly wiping a cold tear off her cheek as unobtrusively as possible.

Tilting her chin, he forced her eyes to his. "I'm not nice, Ashley. At least, not as a general rule," he amended with a wink. "I'm honest though. If this is how you really feel, then you're making the only rational decision you can. The foolish choice would be forcing yourself to do something that didn't make you happy. And if anybody deserves to be happy, it's you."

Her lips trembled as she shook her head again. "Happiness isn't all it's cracked up to be, I'm afraid. And I don't know if it's possible for someone like me to really achieve it. But I know I can't get there if I stay here...in this job."

"Then you do what's necessary to give yourself a fighting chance," Dave ordered gently, his palm cupping her cool cheek even as his heart clenched at the thought of no longer seeing her each day. When had she become such an integral part of his life? When had he lowered his well fortified defenses enough to allow that to happen?

For just the barest of seconds, Ashley allowed herself to lean into his touch, to take comfort from the warmth and security he was offering. But she knew she couldn't relax too much. Not now. Not any longer. "I want something more," she murmured in explanation, smiling weakly as she straightened her shoulders. "Something...tangible," she offered, unwilling to let herself slide down that slippery slope that she could see forming on the horizon. "You understand, right?"

"I understand that, right now, I really wish you were about fifteen years older and wiser," Dave replied ruefully, leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead.

"Or if you were a decade or so younger," Ashley murmured, turning her face against his throat. "That could have worked, too."

Smiling against her temple, he nodded, his thoughts as jumbled as hers now. "Maybe so. Unfortunately, neither of us can change either of those things."

"No, we can't," Ashley admitted softly, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment to quell her tears before pulling away from him. "I'm too young for you and too old for one night stands," she sighed. "Sometimes life really isn't fair, is it?" she smiled hesitantly, glancing up at him.

"Nope," Dave offered simply. What the hell else could he say? She was right and he was smart enough to know it. Sure, he could finagle her into his bed. But, the part of him she'd touched...that part she'd put her own indelible brand on...would never allow him to casually use her to satisfy an urge that would eventually dissipate on its own.

"Go crawl in my bed for a couple of hours, kid. Get some sleep," he directed softly as he loosened his fingers from hers.

Mouth going dry at the thought of crawling between his sheets, she faltered, her mouth slightly open in shock.

"And if it isn't too much trouble, could you spread the word among the younger crew at the Bureau that you spent the night in my bed before you quit?" Eyes twinkling, he winked at her. "I do have a reputation to maintain."

That quickly, she relaxed, laughing. "You're terrible!" she chuckled, slapping his arm as she rose. "But if you're serious about the bed thing..."

"Go," Dave ordered as h nodded. "I'll drive you back to the city tomorrow. We'll talk to Hotch together," he added, knowing she'd need the moral support.

Shaking her head at his generous offer, Ashley sighed. "You're making it really hard to walk away," she said quietly, not just referring to her job.

"Babe, if you knew me better, you'd know that I never do anything the easy. But you got it right the first time. You need more than I can offer you. You deserve it. Walk away," Dave replied, pushing the last directive from his lips.

He watched her slow nod of acceptance before she disappeared from the room, her presence lingering in the air around him. Exhaling a shaky breath, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

He wasn't sure how Aaron did it.

In his opinion, nobility, while sometimes a necessary evil, was vastly overrated.

_**Finis**_


End file.
